Glad I Enrolled!
In a daze, I took the hunter registration card and guidebook handed over by the staff member, then walked out of the lobby.
The uncomfortable stares from the countless scouts glancing at me with indifferent expressions didn't faze me in the slightest. That wasn't what mattered right now.
I could raise an F-rank in no time flat. Hell, it even felt like they'd slapped the Irregular title on me just to egg me on.
Normally, even for an Irregular, climbing beyond your assigned rank meant obsessively learning other people's secret arts like a madman—and that required an insane amount of support. You'd need mountains of cash or entry into a top guild where high-rank hunters could mentor you consistently.
Without special help like money or connections, no amount of ordinary effort would raise your rank by even one letter, no matter if you died and came back to life. That was the harsh reality for anyone slapped with the Irregular label.
But I'm different!
A brand-new ability no one could have imagined had appeared for me! It was only natural that I, who'd never had a lick of talent in my life, couldn't wrap my head around it easily.
Genius types belonged to a world ordinary folks couldn't comprehend, after all.
If this Talent passive skill was what I thought it was, then I was undoubtedly the greatest genius in history.
At least among awakeners.
Where were the most awakeners gathered these days? More than in any massive guild. That place was the Magic Officer Academy.
Clutching my Magic Officer Academy application in hand, I grinned like a maniac.
I'll learn it all! Every last bit, without leaving a single one behind!
"What can I help you with?"
I flashed a bright smile at the admissions office staffer who asked while looking at me and handed over my paperwork.
"I'm applying to become a Magic Officer Academy cadet."
The Magic Officer Academy's 124th Entrance Ceremony.
"You stand at a critical juncture for humanity's survival in this era, called forth as great warriors to defend mankind on the front lines and vanquish our foes. Thus, devote yourselves fully to your studies and the honing of your abilities..."
Some old geezer—chairman or whatever—was droning on with a long-winded speech no one was listening to.
Back in the day, things were so dire they rushed cadets through crash courses and shipped them straight to the battlefield. Now that the situation had stabilized a bit, they extended training periods and recruited on a rolling basis.
I used to look at academy grads with envy from afar, but now here I was, enrolling in this den of elites. It felt kinda weird.
From what I'd observed so far, this didn't seem like the past of my era. Sure, there were similarities—like the massive conglomerate Saseong fully backing awakeners to become the world's largest multinational military corporation.
The big players lined up the same, but plenty of smaller differences stood out. Crucially, the overall level of magic tech here was higher than in my time. Hunters were stronger across the board, too.
Just the number of active S-rank hunters was 200 to 300. That said it all.
The silver lining? Unlike guilds that screened applicants ruthlessly by rank, the academy accepted any awakener, no matter their grade.
Hmm, everyone's so young.
Glancing around, most faces looked pretty fresh-faced. Sure, there were a few older folks sprinkled in, but they were rare.
Studies showed most awakenings happened before age 30. Cases in the 30s and up were super uncommon, and even then, ranks tended to be low.
"Hey? I'm Lee Jae-wook. Nice to meet ya!"
The big lug sitting next to me must've thought I was staring at him while I scanned the crowd, because he struck up a conversation.
Huh? Lee Jae-wook?
Coincidence or not, he shared a name with that naive maknae from my old team. Looking closer, his build matched, and even those clear, oversized eyes were a dead ringer.
"Kang Min-ho. Nice to meet you."
"Yeah, you too! Sitting here at the entrance ceremony feels so exciting, y'know?"
"Does it?"
He gave me a weird look at my deadpan reply.
"You don't seem all that thrilled."
"Nah, I am. I'm just not great at showing it—cut me some slack."
"Fair enough."
He shrugged and lightly thumped my shoulder.
I turned to him and activated my skill.
Information Viewing.
Oho. D-rank awakening, but way better skills?
And an A-rank passive to boot. That probably bumped his final potential to A-rank. Sounded like the type with endless patience and grit.
Pair that with the Irregular title, and it could synergize into something huge—if the right environment came along.
Most skills showed as inactive, too, meaning he might unlock them with effort... or not.
The awakening tester hadn't shown this stuff, so maybe my Information Viewing was the real deal, and the machine was just a knockoff.
I turned to him with a much friendlier smile.
"Let's be buddies, man."
"Uh? Y-yeah, sure thing, buddy."
He grabbed my hand, nodding vigorously at my sudden shift.
Of course we're gonna be tight. You've got a ton of skills I need to snag.
I'll drag you to A-rank if it's the last thing I do.
Spring semester classes kicked off. Everyone was dorm-assigned, so I hauled my stuff to my room.
"Whoa, you too?"
"Ditto."
Lee Jae-wook beamed at me when we bumped into each other at the D-wing dorm entrance. Guess he actually liked his "friend."
He was on the third floor; I was fourth. After splitting off, I stared at the "402" on my door, steeling myself.
Alright—new life starts now!
Click.
Someone was already inside when I opened the door.
Wait, two to a room?
I'd heard it was singles. Quietly skirting the guy crashed out on the bed with a hand over his face, I set my bag on the desk.
Not much to unpack—just a few clothes anyway. Didn't wanna wake the dude, so I booted up the standard-issue PC.
Time to check out the Awakener Network?
The Awakener Network was an exclusive hub for officially recognized awakeners, run by the Yongsan Hunter Association. Swap info, recruit for dungeon runs, trade loot—you name it.
I hit the boards and scanned the top posts by views.
1. S-rank Hunter Baek Si-young Declares Assault on SS-rank Alaska Dungeon!
2. Youngest S-rank Hunter Kang Mir Joins Hwarang Guild!
3. SS-rank Longsword [Fire Dragon's Fang] Up for International Hunter Auction!
4. S-rank Black Hunter Jason Kim Attacks Hong Kong International Hunter Federation!
...
Huh? Kang Mir—the guy who ate me before I died?
That S-rank natural ability awakener had a name that stuck. Hard to forget.
Whoo~ And he's tackling an SS-rank dungeon, no less.
Hunters here were definitely on another level—dungeon clears were faster, threats deadlier.
"What the hell? Auctioning off Fire Dragon's Fang? These bastards are out of their goddamn minds!"
"Huh?"
I whipped around at the voice behind me.
"Hold up—click that third one for me."
"Uh? Oh, sure."
I clicked the post he pointed at.
The South Korean government has decided to auction the SS-rank longsword [Fire Dragon's Fang], obtained from the SS-rank dungeon [Fire Dragon's Nest] cleared last August via a joint raid by Hwarang Guild and Daehan Guild.
This is seen as the government throwing in the towel amid mounting pressure from hunter federations worldwide.
While they've secured various interests in return, voices of concern are rising over relinquishing the country's second SS-rank item.
.....
Pretty words, but it boils down to caving to pressure and coughing it up.
I skimmed the post and clicked my tongue softly. What good was an SS-rank item if you lacked the power to hold onto it?
"Figures—they'll grab a few shiny S-rank dungeons as consolation and play innocent at some press conference. Fucking pricks. Why the hell are they selling off what hunters busted their asses for? Traitorous scum."
"..."
Everything he said rang true—and deep down, I agreed—so I just listened quietly. But who the hell was this guy?
I waited for his rant to die down, then turned.
"Kang Min-ho here. New enrollee. And you?"
"Oh, you're a freshman? Was crashing in an empty room—sorry 'bout that. Name's Park Cheol-gyu. Magic Officer Academy prof."
"A prof?!"
My eyes bugged out. I shot up and bowed deeply.
Professors were gods here—one word from them could boot a cadet on the spot. And most were high-rank awakeners.
"Yup, that's me. Kang Min-ho, freshman. Let's get along."
"Yes, sir! Thank you!"
I shook his hand as he grinned casually. Without thinking, the skill fired off.
Information Viewing.
Holy shit, he's insane!
An S-rank hunter. First time seeing one up close.
True to form, he packed three S-rank skills. Assassin or hunter type, judging by the kit.
And that Dragon Slayer title? His freakout over the Fire Dragon's Fang post? Odds were sky-high he'd been part of that Fire Dragon's Nest raid.
Titles like that didn't come cheap.
Gotta buddy up. No question!
I plastered on my friendliest grin and bowed again.
"Please take good care of me, Professor Park Cheol-gyu!"
"Whoa, uh, yeah. Full of spirit, huh? See ya around."
"Safe travels!"
I kept my head down until he was gone—afraid my twitching lips would give me away.
Definitely the right call enrolling here!
Eyes gleaming, I started scheming how to make his skills mine.